Golf Question: Why Do I See Some People Practising With Their Feet Together?

A) It helps a player gain more distance

B) This drill causes players to swing out to in

C) To practise a full hip rotation during the swing

D) Its a great drill for balance, ball striking and improving your swing path amongst other swing faults

You're Correct!

There are many drills out there for all types of issues relating to the golf swing, and everyone has their own drill which they prefer to use. Practising with the feet together is a fantastic drill for many different issues in a golf swing such as:

When a player is on the range, the feet together drill can be used for any of the above swing changes or improvements.

This is a great drill to shorten a swing because it limits the rotational ability of the player. This is one reason you will see narrow stances for chip shots and wider stances for longer clubs such as the driver. The narrow stance allows you to rotate but the weight does not shift as far to the right foot. This means that the coil will be slightly limited, helping you to control your length of swing and deliver a well timed and powerful down swing.

This drill will also help with your swing path and then your ball striking. The majority of golfers slice or fade the ball from right to left and with this they can lose some of their balance. This is a defect in the swing which will become much more obvious when the feet are together because as the club approaches the ball from an out to in path, the weight will shift further to the right foot causing the player to fall back.

This drill will help the player feel the necessary rotation required in the golf swing. Hold your balance through impact and then begin to build good, solid and consistent ball striking.

Sorry Try Again! - See Explanation Below

In fairness, this and any drill can make a player swing from out to in, however, if this was to happen, the results and defects of the golf ball and the players reaction would be noticeable for all to see.

If a good connection was made, the ball will slice. If a poor connection was made, the player may top or fat the ball. Also, the player will more often than not lose their balance through impact and the follow through as the club comes in closer towards the body. The weight will shift to the back foot and these two forces will be hard to control.

Sorry Try Again! - See Explanation Below

A full hip rotation would be approximately 90 degrees. This is far too much for a golf swing. 45 degrees of hip turn is required in the swing to create resistance within the body to produce maximum power through impact.

Sorry Try Again! - See Explanation Below

By using the drill correctly, it can help the player gain more distance through better ball flights and striking, but only as a result of improving the aspects of the swing it is designed for. This drill would not help a golfer gain distance if their technique was already very good.